Year In..

Home Sweet Home
It feels great being back in Tsiame.. We just finished up the year with finals this past week.. The month of August marks my 1 year anniversary as Tsiame as my Home.. It has been a hell of a year.. An experience I wouldn’t easily give up.. And yet, I know I have plenty to learn.. Boyeyey!
So the 1 year anniversary got me thinking.. Thinking about the reasons for joining Peace Corps.. And if I was on the track.. I am not too good at analyzing.. Or at least not too good at expressing them in written word.. I do, however, have something for the blog

Re-Connect
Disclaimer: In hindsight, I should have posted these at the beginning of my blog to frame the reader’s experience.. Enjoy.. The following compositions were part of my application (the headings provide the subject at hand).. Thus, the following will (hopefully) be in proper English, and not all this.. smiley face crap ;).. Well, in the name of transparency, here it goes.. O by the way, the compositions are dripping with naiveté ;)

1. Cross-cultural Experience:
I was born into a small town in the heart of South India called Coimbatore in the state of Tamil Nadu. Although the major language in the state was Tamil, I attended an English school, studied Hindi as a second language, and spoke Gujarati (because of our West Indian ancestry) at home. With language being a major barrier between cultures, my understanding of so many languages illustrates the variety of cultures I was exposed to at a very young age. Though I did not know it at the time, this background allowed me to understand the many differences inherent in people because of their ancestry and culture.
The most significant cross-cultural experience was yet to come when my parents decided to move to the United States in September of 1994. I was an 8-year-old kid who found himself lost in a completely different melting pot. Although I spoke English, it was as if they spoke a different language in America: people spoke with a different accent, used different words, and enunciated differently. The cultural disparity did not stop at the way we spoke English, but extended to how different people looked, ate, and thought.
It was a tough but rewarding experience to learn and adapt to the norms and customs of American society. Because of my unique childhood, I never saw ‘culture’ as a means of exclusivity, but rather as a different way of addressing the same questions in life. However, many kids in American schools were not as open minded and did not see different cultures with the same tolerant mind I had. Initially, they saw my culture and appearance as something unusual and so were hostile towards it. The most common tease toward me was the character of Apu from the Simpsons – people would either imitate Apu in front of me or would tell me to imitate him for their pleasure. And though I do not consider this a healthy cross-cultural experience, it was the understanding that I carried over from my childhood that helped me develop patience and love towards my peers. Moreover, it created a drive in me to understand my own traditions so that I could convey that our differences are not conflicting.
My current perspective of life and culture is significantly based upon the multifaceted combination of my upbringing in India and my parent's decision to immigrate to the United States. Exposure to various people and thought processes was key in defining ‘culture’ in an open manner – for I believe, culture is both up to the individual and to the community. The differences in culture should act to enrich society as a whole and add diversity to our lives. In addition to tolerance and acceptance, a major trait I owe to this experience is respect; I respect and love each and every person not only because of our similarities, but also because of the differences that make us all unique. These qualities have led to me to apply to the Peace Corps because I see this experience as an opportunity to expand and develop these characteristics even further.

2. Motivation Statement:
Simply put, my goal in life is ‘to live a life that is worth living’. But what kind of life can be defined ‘worthy’? My parents have ingrained in me the importance of giving back - not only by monetary means, but also by my actions and intent. My upbringing in India and immigration to the United States has developed in me an open-minded and respectful attitude toward all cultures. With those teachings, I define my life to be ‘worthy’ if I am able to offer my services to make a positive difference in the world.
When I learned of the Peace Corps, I saw it as an ideal outlet to allow me to pursue my goal of giving something back. I know that I am not going to change the world with my service, but my two years will hopefully improve the lives of a few souls including mine. And though it seems natural to me to join the Peace Corps, many of my family and friends are a bit more skeptical. A standard question that comes up when I tell someone that I am interested in the Peace Corps is: Why do you want to leave everything behind?
My response to them has been that, I do not think I am ‘leaving’ anything behind but rather think of my two years as ‘gaining’ an experience of a new culture and life views. ‘Leaving behind’ is the complete opposite of what I see as a genuine Peace Crop experience; rather, I see it as an opportunity to take the love, beauty, knowledge, and morals I have experienced in my life and share it with someone else and vice versa. The beauty of the Peace Corps is that I will have little or nothing in common with the local people of the country I will work in; the idea of connecting with someone just by the fact that we are both human carries with it a transcendental aspect to the Corps which I greatly admire. I would love to put into greater practice this idea of relating to and communicating with a person without any expectations which is a subject that I have been constantly exposed to through a spiritual movement called "Swadhyay" or self-study.
Another reason I want to volunteer for the Peace Corps is that I will get to go abroad and gain an experience that is unattainable in the United States. There is so much information and awareness that I would like myself to be exposed to, which is impossible through mere travel or reading. Peace Corps will allow me to interact with a community in a structured environment and provide me with a platform to communicate with people of a different background than myself and help build a better life for their community. I see the Peace Corps as a medium through which I can ‘give back’ and at the same time shape my world-view in a positive manner.

3. Aspiration Statement
[Note: This was written just prior to my departure and sent for review by Peace Corps Ghana office – not part of the original application.. I don’t remember the 5 categories, but still a interest read-thru :)]
A: “The toughest job you’ll ever love.” With this tagline, it seems that a Peace Corps volunteer requires a certain kind of self-confidence – a confidence that allows him to see past the hardships to the fruits of his service. I hope to use this self-confidence to guide me through my two years of service.
What fruits do I particularly hope from my service? Well, simply put, I hope to build self-less relationships with the local Ghanaians; to make a positive difference in the local community – be it to one person or to the whole town. Other than that I have no particular expectation other than I expect my service to be nothing like I imagine it to be while writing this statement.
I have learned in the past few years that the world does not revolve around any singular person. We are all in this together, so why not make the best of it for all of us. Thus, in addition to self-confidence, patience and flexibility are also important attributes to me. I intend to go into my service with not only a tolerant mindset, but one that accepts other cultures for what they are (other ways of life). “Respect” of culture and all human beings will be at the forefront in my mind.
In particular, I hope that my experience in tutoring and education will allow insight into my assignment as a Math/Science Teacher. Though there may be countless differences between the American and Ghanaian education systems, I hope to feed off the commonalities. For example, the unquenchable inquisitiveness of children/youth is true the world over and I hope to use that to my advantage as a teacher.
B: My former director gave me the following advice when he heard about my Peace Corps service: “Listen.” As a manager, he had learned from his experience to listen to what his employees wanted. He imparted this knowledge onto me: listen before you act. Patience and cultural awareness play crucial roles in working together, but I believe they come after truly listening to what the community wants from you (as a Peace Corps volunteer).
In addition, I hope not to impose any unsuitable American paradigm (of education or culture) upon the students or the local community. To work effectively, I know will have to gain respect for the culture and people of the community and vice versa.
C: I was born into a small town in the heart of South India (Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu). The state language there was Tamil, school was taught in English (with Hindi as a second language), and Gujarati was spoken at home (due to my West Indian ancestry). I was bombarded with a variety of language (and hence cultures) at a very young age. However, my most significant cross-cultural experience came when I moved to the United States (Sept 1994). I was an 8-year-old kid who found himself lost in a completely different melting pot. Although I spoke English, I thought the language here was alien: people spoke with an accent, spoke really fast, used different words, enunciated differently, etc. The cultural disparity did not stop there, but extended to how different people looked, ate, and thought. And tolerance was not universal – children tend to bully that which they don’t understand; countless times did I get made fun of for being Indian (be it because of my skin color or my accent). Though by no means a health cross-cultural experience, I did learn the importance of patience and understanding in cultural crossroads. I have come to understand that ‘culture’ is by no means a question of exclusivity, but rather as a different way of addressing the same questions we all have of life.
The knowledge gained from my past experiences will help me to adapt to the culture(s) of Ghana. I hope to learn and understand the cultural norms and mores of my community rather than blinding following suit. I believe this approach is not only more effective in adapting to a culture, but will also enrich my Peace Corps experience as a whole.
D: Technical, language, cross-cultural, health, and safety training – these are the training issues outlined in the Ghana Welcome Book. All 5 issues seem to be crucial to train a prepared volunteer on his 2 year service.
During pre-service training, I intend to focus on the skills that deal with culture. Language is the key to unlocking the world of beauty and knowledge otherwise locked within the local community. I hope to focus my efforts to develop my language skills the best I can. In addition, knowledge of indigenous Ghanaian norms will be an important step in allowing the local community to trust me and become comfortable with my presence. As a Teacher, the respect and trust of the community is a primary issue of concern and I hope to rid these as soon as I can when I arrive at my community of service.
I don’t expect to learn every nuance during the 10 weeks of pre-service training, but rather a foundation of policies, skills, and resources necessary to successfully begin my 2 years of service.
E: Independence, leadership, tolerance, understanding, gratitude, etc. – the Peace Corps service will no likely help foster and develop these qualities. These are standard and seem almost automatic with service, and all of which I hope to call upon after my service ends.
Additionally, I hope my experience will help to define my future goals after service. A standard question that comes up when I tell someone that I am serving in the Peace Corps is: Why do you want to leave everything behind? My response to them has been: I do not think I am ‘leaving’ anything behind; rather I think of my two years as ‘gaining’ – gaining a knowledge and experience of a new culture and life views.
My professional and personal aspirations center on the idea that I should never stop learning. I see my service as an opportunity to take the love, beauty, knowledge, and morals I have experienced in my life and share it with someone else, and vice versa. As I stated earlier, I probably will have little in common with the local people of Ghana; the idea of connecting with someone just by the mere fact us being human carries with it a transcendental aspect to the Corps which I greatly admire.
That being said, I know my Peace Corps service will have a direct positive impact on my personal and professional goals. Whether I choose continue down an international path of NGO development work or return home to graduate schooling or back to my former job, the Peace Corps will set a precedent of learning which I hope to never give up during my lifetime.

Analysis
Like I stated earlier, analysis is not my forte.. So, I am just going to leave you with this.. My naiveté is not completely dead (I hope not) :)

Blackstars
Before we get to my self evaluation.. I just want to say how happy people are here for defeating the US in the World Cup.. I still hear about how Ghana is superior to the ‘great’ America in football.. Enjoy enjoy.. I tell them I was supporting Ghana (the locals never believe me).. I am absolutely happy Ghana won that game
But! But! But! The way that the Blackstars were knocked out of the tournament was a tragedy.. The cheap Uruguayans! If you saw the game.. It was amazing.. It went to overtime.. And Ghana (with seconds left on the clock) shot the ball directly at the net.. But! This player - Suaraz - on the Uruguayan side blocked the ball with his HAND! CHEAP! And it turned out that the Blackstar player missed the ensuing penalty kick! Obvi! Asamoah Gyan! O how that hurt.. They then went on to play penalty kicks.. And Ghana ended up losing.. :/
It was absolutely heart-breaking to see Ghana (the last remaining African team) go out with the ball inches away from a victory ;(
Here is a link to the handball at the end of the game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUWZuioV_DY
And here is a link to FIFA's recap of the whole game:
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/matches/round=249718/match=300061508/summary.html

INTERNET!
O and by the way, a government sponsored program recently furnished Tsiame Senior High with 20 new computers (though the Windows on them doesn’t pass the genunine test :/), a laser printer, and a year of free satellite INTERNET!.. ONLY ENJOY IN LIFE!

PS
I’m lost in the “The Hidden Library of Individuals” too! ;P
Boyeyey!